A crowd of students, teachers and fellow school board members packed Angie Gallo’s watch party Tuesday night, eagerly awaiting the results of the Orange County School Board chair election.
When her victory was announced, the room erupted. Cheers and chants filled the restaurant as Gallo climbed onto a booth, raised her arms and thanked the supporters who had gathered to celebrate her win.
Gallo defeated fellow board member Alicia Farrant with 59% of the vote.
The countywide chair position is a four-year term. Gallo, who has represented District 1 since 2018, will now lead the eight-member board overseeing Orange County Public Schools.
OCPS is the eighth-largest school district in the country and fourth-largest in Florida, serving nearly 208,000 students across 214 K-12 schools.
Gallo said one of her priorities will be improving pay for teachers and educational support staff. She plans to spearhead a proposal for a quarter-mill property tax increase that would go before voters in 2028, with the money dedicated to teacher and support staff pay.
“We need to prioritize our teachers. We need to prioritize their pay. They are creating the next generation of our skilled workers,” Gallo said. “Teachers are working two to three jobs. They’re selling their plasma. They’re moving in with their parents. Shame on Tallahassee for not doing better.”
Her new term will also begin with a major leadership change at OCPS. Superintendent Maria Vazquez is set to retire at the end of the 2026-27 school year, putting the search for her replacement among the board’s biggest immediate tasks.
Gallo said she expects the board to tackle that work together, emphasizing that even as chair, she remains one of eight board members.
She also said she wants to represent voters who supported her and those who did not.
“I’m here to represent you. I will listen to you. I will listen to your diverse thoughts, your diverse ideas,” Gallo said.
For Ryan Granger, a UCF graduate student who worked on Gallo’s campaign, the election also carries personal significance. Granger grew up attending Orange County Public Schools and said he wants the district to make sure students from different backgrounds feel welcome.
“As an Orlando native, this feels especially personal to me, because I grew up attending OCPS schools,” Granger said. “As an LGBTQ+ student myself, we should do everything to make sure that LGBTQ+ students feel welcome, especially immigrant students who are being attacked every day under this presidential administration.”
“The City has spoken. Even though I am disappointed, this is what the people wanted,” Farrant said. “Thankful for the time God has allowed me to be on the school board to speak truth and be a light.”
Gallo’s win was one of several school board races on Tuesday’s ballot.
Melissa Lopez Marantes, an attorney and executive director and co-founder of the Orlando Center for Justice, won District 1, Gallo’s former seat.
Gloria Reina O’Neal, a former educator and former director of housing at the Orlando Housing Authority who now works as a consultant for the federal government, won District 2.
District 3 is headed to a runoff between Susanne Peña, a former OCPS teacher and current president of the Florida Association for Bilingual Education, and Diana Moore, a former teachers union president and current teacher.
Gallo also thanked Farrant following the race, acknowledging that the campaign became contentious at times but saying the two remained professional toward each other and the rest of the board.
Gallo will now take the chair as OCPS faces a superintendent search, declining enrollment and continued questions about teacher pay.
“Regardless of your zip code, of your color, where you come from, everybody should be accepted, loved, and seen,” Gallo said. “I think that’s the message that voters sent us tonight.”
